THE BEGINNING OF HELL

[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: A ROYAL AFFAIR ~ RUTH BARRETT]

Oriana walked back to her room, getting ready to sleep. She had almost drifted off when she heard a noise.

"Who are you?" Oriana asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes to see someone dressed in black who did not look like their palace maid.

The person gulped and took a step back, as if surprised to see her. Oriana noticed the person move their sword back and then ask her, "Are you the crown princess of Orion?"

Oriana sat up on the bed and rubbed her eyes. "You've got the wrong room; my sister sleeps in the room after mine. But who are you?" She asked innocently, noticing that it was a female. She felt relaxed.

When the intruder tried to open her mouth to talk, they both heard a sound outside their room. Oriana saw her move her fingers to her lips, indicating that she shouldn't talk.

"Shh.." The young girl went and snuffed out the candles in the room and hid inside the closet. When the person outside passed, she started leaving the room when Oriana said to her,

"Who are you? Please don't hurt my sister.." her small voice called after the person.

Oriana's big brown-gold eyes stared at the person who now looked at her with a small smile, walking back to her bed. The person touched her hair gently, giving her a rose.

"See you next time." She said before leaving the room.

Oriana was happy to receive a gift; she stared at the rose with love. It was black compared to the ones in their garden, which were red. Soon, loud whistle sounds were heard around the palace. Oriana prayed silently that her new friend would escape successfully. The person did not harm her but gave her a gift in return.

The door to her room was pushed open and guards rushed inside holding their swords.

"Princess Oriana is alive," one of them shouted.

Oriana stood up from her bed, hiding the flower she received because she didn't want to be scolded. She saw her father step inside the room.

"Oriana, did anyone come in here?" The King asked with a cold voice.

Oriana's hand trembled with fear; she slightly nodded her head. "Y-yes," her voice came out as a whisper.

Soon Sophie and their mother walked inside the room, walking to where Oriana was standing.

"Did she see anyone?" The Queen asked.

The king ignored his wife's question and said to Oriana, "Did you see the person's face?"

Oriana held her dress tightly. "N-no," she replied, fear gripping her body.

Sophie pushed her aside, going to her bed where the rose was lying she picked it up and showed her parents. "Father, how come Oriana has the black rose and she's not dead?"

Oriana rushed to take back the rose, but her sister held it up. "Give it back; it was a gift." The girl said, tears forming in her eyes.

"I told you, it was the Black rose, I suspect Morado." The Queen said to her husband.

Curtis touched his mustache. "Then why keep Oriana alive? The black roses always kill their victims." The man replied, turning to look at their daughter.

"Either she's hiding something or she's cursed." Saline replied with a scowl when she turned to see her youngest daughter, whose eyes had glistened because of unshed tears.

Throughout the night, everyone stayed awake, waiting for the intruders to get caught. The guards returned empty-handed.

"Your Majesty, we lost them," the head guard reported.

As they were discussing, a maid rushed inside, looking terrified.

"Your Majesty, Q-Queen Mother..." Her voice trailed.

Everyone ran to the woman's chamber, where she had already taken her last breath.

Oriana didn't understand what exactly was going on; she tried to call her grandmother, but there was no response.

"Nana.." Oriana called gently. She had clearly told her that they would see the next day, why then did she refuse to answer.

The King ordered, "Take the princesses back to their quarters, prepare for the burial. Once day breaks, we bury her. Finally, we can have peace in this palace; she lived long enough."

"I can say the same," Queen Saline added. After the Queen mother became sick, she never for once visited the woman again.

Sophie huffed. "I just lost my sleep for nothing. I'm going to bed now." The older princess said, walking back to her room.

Oriana looked at her family members, not quite able to comprehend their words. She decided to go and sleep; maybe as promised, her Nana would be awake to play with her the next day.

"Nana is shy because everyone is standing here," she muttered, following the maid to her room where she laid on her bed counting numbers until daybreak.

When it was morning, Oriana ran to her grandmother's room looking for her, but the whole room had been cleared and there was no sign of her Nana.

"Nana.." she called out, but nobody answered her. Before Oriana could understand what was going on, they were all dressed in white, processing to the royal shrine with a large box in front of them.

All Oriana wanted was for the royal rites to end so she could go search properly for her Nana. But she was surprised to see her mother crying with sadness.

"Oh, Queen Mother..the woman who watched over me when I first came into the palace," Queen Saline got down on her knees and wailed while the maids tried to hold her.

Oriana turned to see her father, crying sorrowfully. "Mother...Mother, please wake up. How can I rule Orion without your constant morning wise words?" King Curtis cried.

Then there was the eldest princess who held her mother's dress, with tears flowing down her eyes. "Grandmother, I had to skip my Crown Princess classes just to be beside you. How could you leave me all alone? Who would teach me how to be a crown princess?" Sophie bawled her eyes out.

Oriana, on the other hand, was surprised to see her family like this; she couldn't quite grasp what was going on. Except her family were trying to perform a show, she didn't understand. Thinking that it was all just a show to make their grandmother smile, and wake up. Oriana smiled.

"Look, the younger princess is smiling," one of the ministers pointed out.

"I tell you, she is really odd. Her grandmother just died, and she is smiling. The girl must be crazy." Another minister added, and soon all eyes were on Oriana.

Oriana, thinking it was a show, couldn't help but laugh loudly. Then she started clapping. "Nana, you can come out now. The show is really beautiful," the girl continued laughing with everyone, spitting as they tagged her an oddball.

King Curtis, Queen Saline, and Princess Sophie turned to look at Oriana. Anger simmering in their souls as they watched the family disgrace laugh out loudly.

Oriana had no idea that her Nana was no more, and it was the beginning of her hellish life in the palace.